Advent / Christmas / Epiphany December 1, 2019, Advent—February 23, 2020, the Last Sunday After the Epiphany
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Seasonal Journal Advent / Christmas / Epiphany December 1, 2019, Advent—February 23, 2020, The Last Sunday After the Epiphany Ethiopian Image of The Magis’ Visit Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Colorado Springs, CO Mission: To accept God’s grace and bear witness to His grace in the world 1 Table of Contents 3 Editor’s Note by Joan Ray 4 The Liturgical Seasons by Joan Ray 6 “Cast away the works of darkness”: A Meditation on an Advent Collect by The Rev. Scott Gunn 8 “LENT MADNESS” 9 “Rejoice!” An Advent Sermon by The Rev. Elizabeth Randall 12 “Get on Board, Little Children” by The Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Douglas Brown 17 The Jesus Movement 18 The Life of the Beloved St. Anna by The Rev. Jill Honodel 23 History of Deacons, Deaconesses: The Marginalized Serving the Marginalized by Joan Ray 25 “Grace upon Grace” by Clelia deMoraes, Co-Chair, GSS Centennial Visioning Committee 25 Editor’s Note: GSS History 27 A Tale of Transformation by Don Simpson 29 The Power of the Word by The Rev. James Harlan 31 For Love’s Sake by The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of the Diocese of Washington 33 A Williamson Family Christmas by The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson 35 George Herbert’s “A Wreath”: A Poet’s Personal Epiphany About Being Too Clever for His Own Good by Joan Ray 41 Epiphany: The Awkward Holiday by Pastor Jen Williamson 42 The Baptism of our Lord by The Rev. Robertson (Rob) Carr Donehue Back Cover: Grace by Ronnie Lee Graham learn at http://www.ronnieleegraham.com) Editor: Joan Klingel Ray Editorial Assistant: Cindy Page Layout and Design: Max Pearson Printed by Print Net Inc., owned by David Byers, 306 Auburn Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80909 Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church at Tejon and Monument Streets (Nave) 601 N. Tejon St. (Office) Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Tel: (719) 328-1125 http://www.gssepiscopal.org The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson, Rector The Rev. Dr. Vaughan Durkee McTernan and The Rev. Brendan Williamson, CSJC, Assisting Priests Pastor Jennifer Williamson, Youth Minister Permission to reprint: Nearly every article in this issue of the Seasonal Journal is available for use, free of charge, in your diocesan paper, parish newsletter, or on your church website. Please credit Grace and St. Stephen’s Seasonal Journal. For sermons by clergy of other churches, please contact the appropriate church. Any copyrighted image is so noted. Permission to reprint any copyrighted images must be obtained directly from the artist. Let us know how you’ve used the Seasonal Journal by emailing [email protected]. GSS funds are not used for this journal. We welcome donations. 2 Editor’s note by Joan Ray about the Liturgical Seasons, including the history With the beginning of a new church year on of the Advent wreath. The Rev. Scott Gunn, December 1st, this issue of the Seasonal Journal Executive Director of Forward Movement, provides reflects some new beginnings and firsts. The Very a thoughtful meditation about Advent, which he Rev. Kelly Douglas Brown, Dean of the Episcopal first presented at the beautiful gothic-styled St. Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Providence RI, NYC, kindly provided her inspiring sermon which I attended while in graduate school at Brown. delivered at the consecration of The Rev. Kym The Rev. Elizabeth Randall, rector of St. Andrew’s Lucas as not only the first female Bishop of Episcopal Church in Denver, reminds us in a Colorado, but also the first African American sermon delivered on the third Sunday of Advent Bishop of Colorado. And speaking of firsts: last that as we anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ, we spring, two churches in California merged as St. must rejoice, for “God is near.” Because wreaths Anna’s Episcopal Church in Antioch, becoming the abound at both Advent and Christmas, I offer an first Episcopal Church named for an African explication of poet-priest George Herbert’s “A American, Anna Alexander, the first African Wreath,” treating it as text that enlightens the poet American deaconess in the Episcopal Church. The and reader about what honoring God really means. Church’s General Convention in July 2018 voted to add Deaconess Anna to the Episcopal Church’s I recalled The Rev. James Harlan’s Calendar of Saints with a feast day of September Christmas Eve sermon of 2017, in which he 24th, the day of her death in 1947. To complement preached about “the power of words” with Mr. and the story of the first African American deaconess, Mrs. Trump in the pews, after listening to Father now a Saint, we offer a brief history of early Jeremiah’s sermon of October 13, when he Episcopal deacons and deaconesses. preached about the toxic communication that is sadly prevalent today. Farther Harlan reminds us Like St. Anna’s, Grace and St. Stephen’s about “the Word” and words. When I contacted Episcopal Church is the result of the merging of two Father Harlan, he generously gave permission to Episcopal churches: Grace and St. Stephen’s, in reprint his meaningful sermon. Likewise, The Rt. 1923. Looking toward our 100th anniversary, Rev. Marian Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington, parishioner Clelia deMoraes, co-chair of the GSS immediately agreed to our reprinting her Christmas Centennial Vision Committee, discusses how our Eve sermon that reminds us that Jesus came to us iconic building, with its magnificent organ and “for Love’s sake.” Our Father Jeremiah offers stained-glass windows, expresses God’s grace. delightful family memories of Christmas past and Parishioner Don Simpson shares how he Christmas present. experienced God’s transforming grace in a hospital room while recuperating from a stroke. Parishioner After the carols, lights, and feasts of Christmas, Ronnie Lee Graham’s thoughts about “grace” grace Pastor Jen takes us to Epiphany, “The Awkward our back cover. Holiday.” Finally, The Rev. Robb Donehue’s sermon about the baptism of our Lord deals with the Because the journal treats Advent, question, “Why would Christ, himself, whom the Christmas, and Epiphany, we include information church believes is sinless, need to be baptized?” 3 The Liturgical Seasons History of the Advent Wreath is provided by Rev. Fleming Rutledge (1937-), a graduate of Union As we have observed in previous issues of our Theological Seminary and one of the first women church’s Seasonal Journal, the Episcopal Church’s ordained as an Episcopal Priest (1977). She spent liturgical year is divided into seasons. This issue over twenty years in parish ministry and has treats Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. With the travelled internationally as a lector, preacher, and exception of the History of the Advent Wreath and teacher of preaching. She is an award-winning the liturgical colors, all information is taken directly author, and in her book Advent: The Once and from Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, Future Coming of Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids, eds., An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church. NY: Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Church Publishing, 1999; page numbers in Company, 2018), she reminds us that “the Advent parentheses refer to this Dictionary. Information on wreath originated in the middle of the nineteenth the liturgical colors is taken from The Episcopal century as a custom in small Protestant Church website communities in northern Germany.” She states the https://www.episcopalchurch.org/liturgical-colors wreath was “unknown in the Episcopal Church of my childhood, but it had become ubiquitous by Advent is the first season of the church year, 1970.” Because I examined her Advent book on beginning with the fourth Sunday before Christmas line at Google Books, I have no page number and continuing through the day before Christmas, citations. [Retrieved 10. 18.2019 the word Advent is derived from a Latin word for https://books.google.com/books?id=lOF0DwAAQB “coming.” The season is a time of preparation and AJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Advent:+The+Once+ expectation for the coming celebration of our Lord's and+Future+Coming+of+Jesus+Christ&hl=en&new nativity, and for the final coming of Christ “in bks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiW power and glory” (3). The liturgical color for iYXc5q3lAhVCqJ4KHQfCArIQuwUwAHoECAY Advent is purple / violet or royal blue. Blue is the QBQ#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9Cthe%20Advent color associated with Mary, with whom we await %20wreath%20originated%20in%20the%20middle the birth of Jesus Christ. Blue is a color of hope and %20of%20the%20nineteenth%20century%20as%2 anticipation, both attributes of Advent. On 0a%20custom%20in%20small%20Protestant%20co December 1st, 2019, the Lectionary readings begin mmunities%20in%20northern%20Germany&f=fals to follow Year (cycle) A: Year A begins on the first e]. Fleming cites the following scholarly source for Sunday of Advent in a year evenly divisible by 3. additional history of the Advent Wreath: Mary Jane The Lectionary has a three-year cycle, referred to as Haemig, “The Origin and Spread of the Advent years A, B, and C. So on the first Sunday of Advent Wreath,” Lutheran Quarterly, 19 (2005): 332-343. (November 29th) in 2020, the Lectionary readings Professor Haemig’s thorough archival research led will be for year B as we will begin a new cycle. to her concluding that Johann Heinrich Wichern An Advent Wreath is a circle of greenery, marked (1808-1881), a prominent German theologian and by four candles that represent the four Sundays of head of the Rauhes Haus (i.e., Rough House), a the season of Advent. An additional candle is lit as charitable school outside Hamburg dedicated to each new Sunday is celebrated in Advent.